The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for the continuous separation of a fluid body comprised of a plurality of component fluids of different viscosities.
At the present time much distressed or otherwise unusable crude oil and some refined oil is disposed of by destructive methods rather than being reclaimed. To a great extent this is because apparatus presently available to achieve the separation of a fluid body comprising a plurality of fluid components of different viscosities into the separate component fluids is generally bulky, complicated, and costly, with the result that reclamation is economically unattractive.
The present invention makes it economically feasible to reclaim distressed, or otherwise unusable, crude oils and some of the refined oils that are now being disposed of by destructive methods. By means of the present invention, in conjunction with conventional equipment, it is possible to remove the impurities in used motor oils to a degree where these oils have sufficient economic value to be recycled. The present invention thus adds oil to improve our nation's energy situation and mitigates some of the disposal problems associated with the oil and chemical industries by economically separating their waste products, thereby reducing pollution. Further, the present invention separates oil and water, or any similar fluids, and as an ancillary function, additionally separates some of the particulate matter contained therein.